Tool for opening the doors of housings having fuse cut-outs therein



Oct. 11, 1955 o. 0. SMITH 2,720,410

TOOL FOR OPENING THE DOORS OF HOUSINGS HAVING FUSE CUT-OUTS THEREIN Filed Jan. 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l OSCAR 0. SMITH 17 INVENTOR.

BY ATTORNEY OCt. 11, MlTH O. O. S TOOL FOR OPENING THE DOORS OF HOUSINGS HAVING FUSE CUT-OUTS THEREIN Filed Jan. 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 OSCAR 0.8mm

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY TOOL FOR OPENING THE DOORS OF HOUSINGS HAVING FUSE CUT-OUTS THEREIN Oscar O. Smith, Urbana, Ill. Application January 2, 1953, Serial No. 329,226

Claims. Cl. 294-19 This invention relates to a tool for opening the doors of housings having fuse cut-outs therein. j

It is the general practice of electric utility companies to employ fuse cut-outs on voltages up to 7200 volts. Such fuse cut-outs necessarily require protection from the weather elements and are accordingly disposed within housings preferably of porcelain construction.

In keeping with all known mechanical constructions, it is of course necessary to effect certain repairs within the housing including the replacement of a blown fuse.

The doors of such housings are usually hinged adjacent the bottoms of the housings and should under favorable circumstances require little manual effort in effecting the opening thereof. However, conditions often prevail which renders opening of the doors difficult, such for example, the corrosion of contacts or the housing and door being covered with ice.

It is accordingly, a primaryobject of this invention to provide a manually operable tool by the use of which the doors of cut-out housings may easily and quickly be opened and in fact removed from the housings.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool for the purpose above set forth including a housing and housing door engageable member and a manipulating handle frictionally pivoted to the member for disposition thereof at various angles to the member for ease in effecting the opening and removing of the door.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tool of the above noted general character, which is relatively simple in construction, easy to use, and which is of maximum elfectiveness in opening the door.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be come apparent in the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved tool in an adjusted position for initial engagement with the housing and door preparatory to eifecting opening of the latter.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the improved tool in operative engagement with the housing and door in an initial movement of the tool.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the tool, with a part thereof in longitudinal section, the handle being removed.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the tool with the handle removed.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but with operative parts thereof shown in a different position.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of one of the elements of the tool.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another element of the tool.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view showing the cut-out housing partially broken away to reveal certain parts interiorly thereof, and showing the improved tool in shaded lines in its initial door opening position and further showing the tool in unshaded lines in its position assumed when the door, shown in dotted lines, has been opened and swung to a removing horizontal position.

United States t fi o 2,720,410 Patented Oct. 11, 1955 Referring now in detail to the drawings, H designates a cut-out housing which is provided with a door D hinged to the housing within same and adjacent the bottom thereof as indicated at h. The door D has its margin disposed within the open front of the housing and inwardly of the opposite side walls of the housing as is clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 6. The door D is provided with an outwardly projecting fin F having a circular pulling aperture A therein.

The improved tool is designated in its entirety by the numeral 10 and which includes a housing member 11 preferably of rectangular form in cross section. The member 11 at one end thereof is provided with an apertured ear 12 and at its opposite end it is provided with an upstanding lug 13 on its top wall and laterally outwardly extending lugs 14 on its side walls.

Rigidly secured to the lug 13 is one end of an arm 15 whose opposite end is rigid with a transversely extending door engaging and supporting finger 16.

Rigidly secured to the lugs 14 is one end of a downwardly and forwardly inclined arm 17 whose opposite end is rigid with an arcuate member 18 having opposite ends 19 which have the teeth 19' engageable with opposite side walls of the housing H adjacent the side edges of the door in operation of the tool.

The parts 17, 18 and 19 act as and may properly be termed a brace member.

Longitudinally slidably disposed within the bore of housing member 11. is the open sided rectangular shank 20 of a pulling finger 21 having a head 22 for removable reception within the door aperture A. a

A pin 23 extends through housing member 11 and also throughthe open sided shank 20 of the finger 21. A pilot pin 24 extends longitudinally within the shank 20 and is provided with a saddle 25 at one end thereof engageable with pin 23 and its opposite end extends through an aperture 26 in the free end of shank 20. A coil compression spring 27 is disposed within the shank 20 in encircling relation to the pilot pin 24 with one end thereof hearing against the saddle 25 and the opposite end thereof bearing against the inner wall of the free end of the shank 20.

The shank 20 is provided with a shoulder 28 which is engageable with an edge of the open end of housing member 11 as is clearly indicated in Fig. 5.

In this position the spring 27 is compressed and may be termed loaded since it has inherent energy to urge the finger 21 rearwardly upon release of shoulder 28 from the end edge of housing member 11.

The improved tool includes a hand engageable manipulating handle 29 (or hot rod) having an adjustable connection 30 with a hinge member 31 in turn having a friction pivotal connection with the ear 12. It is to be noted that the pivots of connections 30 and 31 are disposed at right angles whereby the handle 29 has a universal connection with the housing member 11.

In use of the improved tool, the finger 21 is first drawn outwardly to the position of Fig. 5 with a resulting compression or loading of the spring 27 and in which position the shoulder 28 is engaged with the end edges of housing member 11.

Next the angle of the handle 29 is adjusted through the friction pivotal connection 31 in order that the head 22 of finger 21 may be inserted into the door aperture A as in Figs. 2 and 8. With the head thus positioned the finger 16 is engaged with the door D and the brace member has its ends 19 engaged with the side walls of the housing H.

With the tool thus positioned, a quick firm downward pull is applied to handle 29. In this action the shoulder 28 is drawn out of engagement with the end edge of housing member 11 with the result that the loaded spring 27 acts to break the mechanical connection within the door with a resulting fast break of the electrical connection.

The door D is then lowered to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8 where it can be lifted out.

When the door is in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8 it is held in place on the tool 10 by resting on the member 18 of the brace as well as on the supporting finger 16.

The door D can readily be re-installed while it is supported by the tool by the following procedure.

Remove the head 22 of finger 21 from the aperture A by exerting a downward pull on the handle until the finger 21 is extended as in Fig. 5, and then reverse the ends of handle 29 (so called hotstick) and close the door with the regular switch stick finger.

While I have disclosed my invention in accordance with a single specific structural embodiment thereof, such is to be considered as illustrative only, and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined in the subjoined claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

l. A tool for opening the door of an electrical cut-out housing, which door is hinged to the housing adjacent its lower end and which has its edges disposed within the side wallsof the housing and is provided with an aperture; said tool comprising a housing member, for disposition in advance of and at substantially right angles to the door, a brace member projecting from one end of the housing member for engagement with opposite side walls of the housing adjacent its lower end, a supporting finger projecting from the same end of the housing member for engagement with the door adjacent its upper end, and a spring loaded pulling finger projecting from the same end of the housing member having an end portion engageable within said door aperture, and a manipulating handle on the opposite end of the housing member, for releasing the spring loaded finger to retract the same rearwardly towards the manipulating handle.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said brace member and said supporting finger extend from said one end of the housing member in diverging relation and are rigid with upper and lower walls thereof, and said pulling finger being yieldably supported within the housing member intermediate the said brace member and supporting finger.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said handle has a universal connection with said housing member and which connection includes a friction pivotal connection.

4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said housing member has a longitudinal rectangular bore, said pulling finger including an open sided rectangular shank slidably disposed within said bore, a pin extending through said housing member and the open sided shank, a pilot pin disposed within the shank, a saddle on one end of the pilot pin engageable with said first pin, the opposite end of the pilot pin extending through an aperture in the end wall of said shank, a coil compression spring surrounding said pilot pin and having its opposite ends bearing on said saddle and said end wall of the shank.

5. The structure according to claim 4, together with a shoulder on said shank engageable with an end edge of said housing member for temporarily locking said pulling finger in extended position and with said spring in compressed condition.

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 29, 1904 

